Kyiv Art Fair goes online
Want to connect with the contemporary Ukrainian art scene?
Out of necessity (need we explain?) Kyiv Art Fair is getting the online treatment this autumn. Open until 31 October, its digital platform gives visitors the chance to explore 25 galleries from Ukraine, France, Germany, and Poland. Many of the works on display were created during the lockdown, so you’ll be among the first to see them.
The exhibition is accompanied by an educational programme that includes online lectures, performances, and a talk show – “Art = Capital? – during which prominent figures in the Ukrainian art world debate the question of money in art. Participants include world-famous art critic, philosopher, and media theorist Borys Groys; French theorist, art critic, and curator Nicolas Bourriau; and expert researcher Ksenia Nuril.
If 2020 has taught us anything, it is that pretty much anything can be done online, often with a surprising degree of success. Sure, it’s no substitute for the real thing – the tactile and spatial dimensions are missing, not to mention the social aspect. But online events offer some unexpected advantages. Virtual conferences can provide more scope for international participation, and some people find they are better able to concentrate on information when it’s presented in an online format.
Of course, the art lovers among us can’t wait to be able to walk around a real art fair once again. But in the meantime, let the online incarnation of Kyiv Art Fair give us some food for thought, and a taste of the future: the talented up-and-coming artists we’ll likely be seeing on gallery walls in years to come.
To find out about the programme of events, take a virtual gallery tour, or watch the talk show and lectures, visit https://kyivartweek.com/elementor-80/
